Editorial Feedback

February 12, 2008

FOR THE STUDENTS?

In your "Show and Tell" editorial, you failed to mention that the trip to the 2007 Masters that I disclosed on my Statement of Economic Interests was one of five live auction items at the 2007 Christopher Newport University Golf Tournament and Auction for Student Scholarships. The tournament and auction were sponsored by the CNU Alumni Association and the CNU Educational Foundation.

The trip to the Masters had been "purchased" during the auction by a local physician, who several days after winning the bid injured his back and was unable to use the trip. As a result, the CNU Educational Foundation did not want to demand payment from the physician for a trip he was unable to use.

In order to try and offset the cost of the trip, the foundation sought to find another person or organization to pay for the trip so that the cost of the trip would not be paid out of the funds intended for student scholarships. The trip was even advertised on eBay.

The group of payday lender organizations that purchased the trip invited me to attend the Masters as their guest even though they knew I supported a 36 percent cap on payday loan interest rates.

In accordance with state law, I fully disclosed cost of the trip. Unlike some of the gifts that are reported by legislators, this gift helped to support student scholarships at CNU.

Del. Phillip Hamilton

Editor's response: So, you're saying that you let seven payday lending companies pay your $3,100 tab at the Masters, one of the toughest tickets to get in all of sports, as a favor to the students at CNU? The cost of your Tiger-watching junket adds up to almost three average CNU scholarships. From here, it still looks more like the lobbyists picked up the tab so you could enjoy the trip.